Knit, Crochet and Natter 6: Where there's a wool there's a way

[lazylinguist]

A thread for all woolly crafters, from total beginners to old hands! Previous thread here

Phew - well done Flavia!
I must confess, my restraint at Yarndale was more to do with skintness than genuine restraint . I've got my big 50th birthday bash coming up in half term and we've pushed the boat out a bit...

I'm looking forward to it a lot, but am a bit preoccupied by other things atm - my lovely DM is currently under investigation for some nasty symptoms which dsis and I are worried might be something pretty sinister (ovarian cancer looks like a strong possibility ).

Oh no lazy, I'm sorry to hear that I hope there's a less sinister reason.

Me too...

Lazy, I love the wool you bought. The colours! I'm sending positive vibes for you and your Mum ♥

Love the winnie the poo blanky and the spa set is so cute.

Very much appreciate the kind cardigan words. I felt really nervous about posting it. It took 4 weeks but i had a few days of procrastinating. As i made it longer, and had already made the side panels, I had to improvise in making those longer so i took a bit of a risk but it worked out. The panels make the cardigan gradually increase in width,and I didn't want that for the extra length, so i made it decrease. Very scary but i trusted my instinct.

I got my best friends partner to try it on for me last night, and he's now asked me to make one for her! (in secret)

I've been lusting over malabrigo rios aran and think he's going to go for that. He doesn't care about the cost (although a lot of Malbec was consumed by then so I'll check with him sober 😂).

Has anyone evee used it? My cardy weighs 1.75 kilo so it won't be cheap!

@crochetbug the cardigan is enclosed, i think it's the colours. I just love it. Cardigan obsessed at the minute!

The hood was easy lazy. When are you making your icords?

Well I've just started the Fairisle cuff of the first sleeve, @Myshitisreal, so not long now! I think I'll mostly be fine with the icord bit, it's just the very last bit of the instructions that sounds confusing. I'll have to post it on here and beg for help if I get stuck!

@lazylinguist sending positive thoughts and vibes to your mum. I hope it's not as bad as you are thinking.

@Myshitisreal oh that is lovely. I love the colours!

Thanks folks. DM should get the results by the end of the week. She and DF are also in the process of trying to move house, so the timing could be pretty appalling.

Hopefully it’s good news for your mum lazy. I love the yarn you purchased from yarndale. I’ve been to a few shows recently, not knitting and crochet ones, but one did have an arts and crafts section last time we visited. It seems that has been culled due to Covid 😒

I love the Pooh bear blanket. That’s such a lovely pattern.

I’ve nearly finished my blanket but I’m just lacking motivation. It’s a lack of work motivation but is spilling into every other area of my life. We have NCT classes later this week and we’ve been asked to bring something that I’ve made or bought for baby, so I better get cracking with the blanket, motivation or not! I did buy a pattern for some chocolate orange covers but then I realised it was knit not crochet 🤦‍♀️ (It didn’t say in the description 🙄) so I’ve sent that to my mum with a not-so-subtle hint that I want one for Christmas!

My best wishes for your mum, @lazylinguist. I'm sorry you're going through such a stressful time.

We have NCT classes later this week and we’ve been asked to bring something that I’ve made or bought for baby, so I better get cracking with the blanket, motivation or not!

Blimey - NCT giving homework! I'm not getting much knitting done, as I'm super busy doing tons of supply teaching in between my fixed teaching slots. Not that I'd be knitting during the day, but it just means I end up rushing around all evening doing stuff I haven't had time to do. Still, all brings in more yarn money!

Blood results are in.
I have low folic acid which can be diet controlled. Low vitamin D which I'm getting a "loading dose" of tablets for and then I just have to take a low daily dose to maintain.

And type 2 diabetes and PCOS. Which apparently have a lot of cross over so its hard to know which condition is causing which symptom. So we are treating the diabetes and seeing what I'm left with when that's under control.

In positive news I have the kidney function of someone in their early 20s (I'm 37) so I'm taking that as a win

All in all its kind of what i expected so not too much of a shock although it's a lot to take in, and some big diet changes will be coming my way. Shame. I love food.

crochetbug sorry you’ve got some bad results but at least you know now and hopefully the diet changes and supplements will help you get back to feeling better. Obviously not the same but I’ve got gestational diabetes so I’ve been making diet changes (and dreaming of cake)! The gestational diabetes website has some low carb cakes/chocolate stuff which might be suitable for regular diabetics?

lazy we seem to be getting homework every week. I think this weeks homework is mostly for DH though

I’ve finished my blanket (and my homework).

Oh, sorry to hear that CrochetBug, congratulations on your impressive kidneys though!

That is a beautiful blanket InTheNight!

Thanks @InTheNightWeWillWish I'll have a look at the website. I love carbs so it will be hard. But hey ho. I've been looking at the fast 800 stuff because it's meant to be good.

I don't remember getting homework from NCT classes. But to be fair it was 17.5 years ago that I did them (they were so shit with DS1 that I didn't bother for DS2.)

And thanks @Flavia I'm very proud of my youthful kidneys

Round of applause for @CrochetBug's kidneys! Sorry to hear about the not so good bits of your test results though, @CrochetBug. Hope you see some improvement asap from diet changes.

I hope Flavia doesn't mind me saying... but she sent me a couple of her surplus-to-requirements drop spindles with some fleece to have a go with ! I've just spent the last half-hour ignoring my pets and children and discovering that spinning is harder than it looks . I am also covered in fleece fibres! Looking forward to my spinning course a week on Saturday so that I can be a bit less inept at it!

Actually it looks from the course summary that it will mostly be using a spinning wheel, but I'll keep practising with the spindles too, as I've got no plans to buy a spinning wheel anytime soon!

crochetbug there’s a song by Macklemore that’s called let’s eat. There’s a line in that says “ I never knew what a carbohydrate was
Turns out that it's all the snacks I love” which I feel pretty accurately sums up my life at the minute! Good luck with the Fast 800. I’m sure you’ll get your head round it. To be fair, most of our NCT homework is YouTube videos. So far this one seems informative but I get the feeling she’s very woo and the positive power of thinking will do wonders, whereas me and DH might be a bit too cynical for her!

Looks like I’m adding lazy to the ‘only-slightly-follow-what-she’s saying-because-she has-wizard-skills-beyond-my-comprehension’ list with flavia. Have fun with spinning and if you want to feel less inept, just ask me a question about it

Looks like I’m adding lazy to the ‘only-slightly-follow-what-she’s saying-because-she has-wizard-skills-beyond-my-comprehension’ list

Hmm. To date, my spinning-related wizard skills involve covering myself in fleece, dropping the aptly-named drop spindle, and creating something that looks more like hairy intestines than yarn. I don't think you need worry about following my drift so far, InTheNight. Flavia is definitely wizardly though. I think my first moment on these threads was that amazing brioche jacket/cardigan she made.

Right.. I need to stop yarning about and MNing, un-chaos my house, walk ddog and think about what's for dinner. I've done two full days of supply teaching and I'm a bit frazzled.

@lazylinguist

Actually it looks from the course summary that it will mostly be using a spinning wheel, but I'll keep practising with the spindles too, as I've got no plans to buy a spinning wheel anytime soon!

Spindles are gateway drugs, sorry 😂

Once you get the hang of drafting you can spin on anything. The course sounds fab!

Gateway drugs

Apologies for the wall of text, but here's the course description. If I got the hang of all this, I really would feel like a wizard!

Learn to Spin 2 day course
at The Wild Wool Workshop
Ennerdale
from 9am-4pm

Learn to Spin is a 2 day course to take you from beginner to competent spinner. In the atmospheric barn of the Wild Wool Workshop using wool from the oldest Herdwick sheep flocks in the country* you will not only learn to spin using a treadle wheel you will finish the course with the knowledge to confidently turn your own fibre from fleece to stunning yarn.

Day 1
Get to know your wheel
 Learn about the history of spinning wheel.
 Discover different wheels
 How the wheel works
 The names and parts of the wheel
 Using different wheels
 Making your wheel work – treadling the wheel

This will not be a dry boring theory lecture, but a hands on practical session getting you used to turning the wheel with your feet whilst concentrating on other things with your hands

Fibres and Sheep
 Wool – what it is and it’s special properties
 Types of wool breeds and what that means for different spinning styles
 Staple length

Preparation of Wool for Spinning
 Washing Wool – to wash or not to wash
 Preparing fibre for spinning
 Hand Carding
 Drum Carding
 Hand Combing
 Hackling
 Using a Dizz and Drafting

You will have a chance to try out all these methods of preparing wool so you can see how they each create different starting point for Spinning, and you will be able to practice them all over the 2 days.

Spinning
Don’t worry it won’t take us all day to get to this the exciting spinning part, but learning to prepare the wool (like DIY) is really important for successful spinning

 Threading your Wheel
 Altering the tension
 Drafting the fibre
 Holding the fibre
 Treadling and drafting
 Getting to know your drafting triangle
 Z an S
 Short Forward Draw - “Pinch, Pull, Slide”

Day 2
Improving
Once you have mastered the art of keeping your wheel turning, whilst you are gently teasing out the fibres in a straight line (like patting your head and rubbing your tummy) we can look at how to create the yarn you want as opposed to the yarn that the “wheel makes you create”.

Twist is Everything
 Twist
 WPI
 Grist
 Angle of Twist

Find out why these 4 little words are vital for successful spinning.

Spinning Styles for your dream wool
 Short Forward Draw
 Short Backward Draw
 Long Draw
 American Long Draw
 Worsted and Woollen Spun
 Semi-worsted and Semi-woollen spun

Plying
Plying with 2 strands of your own spun wool
 Using a Lazy Kate
 Using a Niddy noddy
 Finishing the yarn

• We will use other fibres to help beginners’ technique and in order to learn different styles of spinning and also to discover the beauty and diversity of different breeds. You are also welcome to bring your own fibre.

InTheNightWeWillWish Ooh, somehow on courses those kind of positive thinking people somehow bring out the worst in me and turn me into a sarky teenager. It's not pretty!

I went to so many courses with DS1, the best one was where you got to try the G&A in the labour suite to see what it felt like

Oh wow lazy that sounds AMAZING! I'm so going on holiday in the centre of the English yarn festival, sheep and spinning areas one day

Oh and this was my first attempt at spinning, I took a photo so I could compare in future...

@FlaviaAlbiaWantsLangClegBack

InTheNightWeWillWish Ooh, somehow on courses those kind of positive thinking people somehow bring out the worst in me and turn me into a sarky teenager. It's not pretty!

I went to so many courses with DS1, the best one was where you got to try the G&A in the labour suite to see what it felt like

I bet that’s another thing that’s been done away with since Covid 🙄 😂

I had G&A when I was a kid and broke my arm. I still remember how off my face I was and that was only for 10 minutes while they strapped my arm up!